28 Life and Character of Nathaniel Bowditch. 
My other remark is, that this item in his Will is an indication — 
of a very prominent feature in his character, namely, his grateful : 
and generous spirit. Dr. Bowditch never forgot a favor; length 
of time did not obliterate it from his memory. ‘The kindness | 
shown him when a poor boy he remembers and repays by a lib- : 
eral legacy. The Salem Marine Society, a mutual charitable in- ; 
stitution, which had aided his father in his straits by the small an-_ 
nual stipend of fifteen dollars, he repays, and wipes off the obli- 
gation, though not his sense of the benefit, by a similar bequest 
of a thousand dollars. And the East India Marine Society, whose — 
peculiar and splendid collection of curiosities is so well-known, — 
receives a legacy of the same amount. And let it be remembered 
that these were not the donations of a rich man. ' He was fat 
_ from being one. These three legacies constituted one tenth patt 
of, his whole personal property. Others sometimes give to such 
institutions from their abundance—he from his comparative pen 
ury. Let the deed be an example and.an incitement to our ven 
thy men! 
‘Dr. Bowditch combined, in a very remarkable degree, qualitiell 
-and habits of mind which are usually considered incompatible 
and hostile. He was a contemplative, recluse student, and at the’ 
same time, an active, public man. He lived habitually among_ 
the stars, and yet, I doubt not, he seemed to many never to raise 
his eyes from the earth. He was a profound philosopher, and at 
the same time, a shrewd, practical man, and one of the most ski 
ful of financiers. Judging from his published works, you would 
suppose that he could have no taste nor time for business or the 
world; and judging from the large concerns which he managed, — 
and the a“ funds af whieh 2 _— the supervision,—involving the 
most t minute details,—you would 
say that he could have no taste nor time for study. His exam 
ple is a conclusive proof and striking illustration of the fact, that 
there is no inherent, essential, necessary incompatibility betwee® 
speculation and practice—that there need be no divorce betweel 
philosophy and business. The man most deeply engaged in al 
fairs need not be cut off from the higher pursuits of intellectual 
culture ; and the scholar need not be incapacitated by his studies 
from understanding and engaging in the practical details of come | 
mon life. _ To fact, “eng should be blended in order to make UP- 
the full, complete man. Contemplation should be always united 
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